A deoxidant relying on the oxidation reaction of iron powder has been widely used, as sealed up in a gas-barrier container along with an object such as food put therein, thereby removing the oxygen from the container so as to preserve the quality and the freshness of the object such as food. The commercially-available deoxidant relies on the reaction of iron powder with oxygen in the presence of moisture; and for promoting the oxidation reaction of iron powder, in general, a metal halide such as sodium chloride or calcium chloride and, from the viewpoint of increasing the oxygen absorption rate and amount and of the handling ability, an inorganic filler are added thereto, and the deoxidant of the type is disclosed in Patent Reference 1.
Patent Reference 1: JP-B S54-476